Grass or grass-like · Juncaceae

Inland rush

Juncus interior · includes its varieties and subspecies

Inland rush is recorded as native to 22 states and territories in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in 592 counties of those states by USDA PLANTS.

Recorded native ranges can include long-established populations that spread from gardens; check your state’s native plant society list for local guidance. How native status is decided.

Key facts · USDA PLANTS

Inland rush at a glance

Native in: 592 counties, across 22 states and territories
Estimated cold hardiness: Zone 3b PLANTS minimum temperature −38°F
Mature height: 3 ft PLANTS mature height
Light and water: Sun to part shade Medium water use

Estimated cold hardiness: zone 3b. PLANTS gives a minimum temperature of −38°F; zone 3b winters bottom out at −35°F, the coldest half-zone that stays within that limit.

Counties where it is native

The 15 counties with the most ZIP codes among the 592 where it is listed.

Native counties by state

Arizona 11 counties
Arkansas 43 counties
Colorado 14 counties
Illinois 89 counties
Indiana 11 counties
Iowa 13 counties
Kansas 67 counties
Kentucky 7 counties
Minnesota 6 counties
Mississippi 1 county
Missouri 59 counties
Montana 3 counties
Nebraska 34 counties
New Mexico 7 counties
North Dakota 24 counties
Ohio 1 county
Oklahoma 30 counties
South Dakota 19 counties
Tennessee 32 counties
Texas 84 counties
Wisconsin 24 counties
Wyoming 13 counties

Growing traits

Values from the PLANTS characteristics record. “Not recorded” means PLANTS has no value; nothing here is estimated except the zone.

Growth

Growth habit: Graminoid
Duration: Perennial
Mature height: 3 ft
Growth rate: Moderate
Growth form: Bunch
Shape: Erect
Lifespan: Moderate
Active growth period: Spring and Summer

Light and water

Shade tolerance: Intermediate (sun to part shade)
Moisture use: Medium water use
Drought tolerance: Low
Tolerance of waterlogged soil: Medium
Precipitation range: 20 to 55 in per year

Soil

Soil textures: Coarse, medium and fine
pH range: 5.7 to 7
Lime (CaCO₃) tolerance: Medium
Salinity tolerance: None
Fertility requirement: Low
Minimum root depth: 10 in

Climate

Minimum temperature: −38°F
Estimated cold hardiness: Zone 3b and warmer
Minimum frost-free days: 90
Fire tolerance: High

Flowers, leaves and fruit

Flower color: Green
Showy flowers: No
Bloom period: Late Spring
Foliage color: Green
Showy in fall: No
Keeps leaves: No
Fruit color: Brown

Other

Toxicity: None
Nitrogen fixation: None
Nursery availability: Routinely Available
Family: Juncaceae
PLANTS symbol: JUIN2

Source & data date

Source: USDA NRCS PLANTS Database: county distribution records, native status and plant characteristics. CC0 (public domain dedication, per the data.gov catalog record).; Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP): native or introduced status by state. CC BY 3.0.; USGS US-RIIS (ver. 2.0): species listed as introduced are excluded. CC0.
Citation: USDA, NRCS. 2026. The PLANTS Database (https://plants.usda.gov, 11/04/2026). National Plant Data Team, Greensboro, NC USA.; Govaerts R. (ed.) (2026). WCVP: World Checklist of Vascular Plants. Facilitated by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Data file dated 2026-06-04, http://sftp.kew.org/pub/data-repositories/WCVP/ (retrieved 2026-11-04). Paper: Govaerts R. et al. (2021) The World Checklist of Vascular Plants, a continuously updated resource for exploring global plant diversity. Scientific Data 8, 215.
Data date: Retrieved from PLANTS on November 4, 2026; WCVP data file dated June 4, 2026.
Scope: Juncus interior (PLANTS symbol JUIN2), including 1 variety or subspecies folded into the species.
Method: A species is listed when it is recorded as native to the state in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in the county by USDA PLANTS. Species PLANTS labels both native and introduced are listed separately. Full method · All sources

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